Monocoque shear wall as cooling plate
Presented is a system for cooling components of an electric motor vehicle. It utilizes the cold plate, a large metal plate necessary for cooling the batteries and electronics, as a structural member. Instead of being passively contained, the cold plate is used to increase the torsional rigidity of the monocoque. The structural cold plate takes on shear stresses, unlike a passively-contained, non-structural cold plate. The use of the cold plate itself as a stress member negates the need for additional redundant features or structures in the monocoque to resist forces and prevent flexure. Thus the monocoque can be pared down and its weight minimized or larger component accommodated. Cold plates can be made in several ways, from different materials, of varying thickness and shapes.
1 . A monocoque for a motorcycle comprising:
a shear wall that forms an outer wall of the monocoque; and
a cooling channel running through the shear wall.
2 . The monocoque of claim 1 comprising an electric component thermally connected to the shear wall inside the monocoque.
3 . The monocoque of claim 2 wherein the electric component is a battery.
4 . The monocoque of claim 2 wherein the electric component is an electronic circuit.
5 . The monocoque of claim 1 comprising:
an electric component thermally connected to the shear wall outside the monocoque; and
a cover over the electric component.
6 . The monocoque of claim 1 wherein the shear wall is a front wall of the monocoque.
7 . The monocoque of claim 1 wherein the shear wall is a bottom front wall of the monocoque.
8 . The monocoque of claim 1 wherein the shear wall is planar or non-planar or is of non-uniform thickness.
9 . The monocoque of claim 1 comprising a cover over the shear wall.
10 . The monocoque of claim 1 , wherein the cooling channel is uniformly distributed or non-uniformly distributed within the shear plate.
11 . The monocoque of claim 1 , comprising a first shell and a second shell, wherein the shear wall closes an open face formed by the first and second shells when the first and second shells are connected to each other.
12 . A motorcycle comprising a monocoque, the monocoque comprising:
a shear wall that forms an outer wall of the monocoque; and
a cooling channel running through the shear wall.
13 . The motorcycle of claim 12 comprising an electric component thermally connected to the shear wall inside the monocoque.
14 . The motorcycle of claim 13 wherein the electric component is a battery or an electronic circuit.
15 . The motorcycle of claim 12 comprising:
an electric component thermally connected to the shear wall outside the monocoque; and
a cover over the electric component.
16 . The motorcycle of claim 12 wherein the shear wall is a front wall of the monocoque or a bottom front wall of the monocoque.
17 . The motorcycle of claim 12 wherein the shear wall is planar or non-planar or is of non-uniform thickness.
18 . The motorcycle of claim 12 , wherein the cooling channel is uniformly distributed or non-uniformly distributed within the shear plate.
19 . The motorcycle of claim 12 , comprising a first shell and a second shell, wherein the shear wall closes an open face formed by the first and second shells when the first and second shells are connected to each other.
20 . The motorcycle of claim 12 comprising a cover over the shear wall.
21 . The motorcycle of claim 20 , comprising a plurality of bolts each of which fastens both the cover and shear wall to the monocoque.
22 . The motorcycle of claim 20 , wherein the cover and shear wall are independently fastened to the monocoque.